Welcome to our Bipolar World! It's a never-ending Roller Coaster without all the safety restraints... Lots of ups, downs, and non-stop screaming intermixed with laughing and crying; both happy and sad. We use this blog to keep track of our struggles and progress with Juvenile Bipolar Disorder. Jr doesn't know this blog exists, but someday we'll share it with him. My hope is that one day he will take it over and make it his own.

Monday, July 14, 2008

24 - A day in the life of a Bipolar Child

I found this article today. It is a long read, but definitely explains a lot.

...Tracy Anglada in Intense Minds describes the microscopically-short fuse of youngsters with bipolar disorder. She says: "Anger is an emotion we all experience...if you get fired from a job, you get angry...if a car runs a red light and narrowly escapes slamming into you, you may feel angry. The anger associated with bipolar disorder in children is different. It is an internal state that requires no outside prompting. It has a fuel all its own. This internal anger is so reactive but with higher intensity and less restraint."One of the children we interviewed for our book gave a fascinating description as to how he feels when a rage gathers. He explained:It comes out so quickly; faster than a knee-jerk reaction. It's like electricity shoots through me. It's like being struck with lightening. I feel rage and hurt and a need to strike back. I would be raging every day, multiple times a day, verbally abusive, nasty, negative, but very careful not to show it to the outside world.A teenager described her rages this way:I used to go to my room and punch the walls and I couldn't stop crying. It was like a dream you couldn't recover in the morning: You know something bad and worrisome has been a concern somewhere in your brain, but you just can't remember it...

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5/26/2012 - Back on Abilify 2MG5/7/2012 - Completely off Abilify and Depakote!

4/18/2012 dropped Depakote fro 500MG to 250MG

4/4/2012 dropped Depakote from 750MG to 500MG3/27/2012 dropped Abilify from 10 to 5MG

3/01/12 dropped Abilify from 20MG to 10MG~12/01/11 dropped Abilify from 30MG to 20MG

Our Bipolar Story

Jr came to us almost 8 weeks early. We spent a lot of time with him in the NICU of our local hospital. He was born premature due to a placental abruption. He was a very fun but difficult child. At age 4, we were getting along just fine, and then I got sick. I spent a month in the Hospital about an hour and a half away. This really affected Jr. He quickly became an extremely difficult child.Long story short, we were referred to a child psychiatrist by Jr’s pediatrician. We arranged an appointment with the nearest child psychiatrist about an hour away. This doctor spent a bit of time with Jr, maybe 4 or 5 appointments…He then diagnosed him as having Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder. He quickly put him on Risperdal. That seemed to help quite a bit, but then Jr quickly gained about 15 pounds. After a few more appointments, this Psychiatrist decided that Jr was too severe and he couldn't help him…Now what?We were fortunate to find another Psychiatrist who was willing to work with Jr. Dr. H has been great for us. He is always willing to listen to us. He has a pretty good relationship with Jr and can usually get him to talk. To Be Continued….